The Montclair Public Library’s Bellevue Avenue branch and the Friends of Bellevue group have announced that the operating hours at the library are being extended. In addition to being open on Mondays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., the location will now also be open from 2-6 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays starting the week of September 10.

There will also be a host of new products inside the library: desktops have been added, state-of-the-art Early Literacy Stations have been installed, and the popular adult collection has been updated with new books and media.

Furthermore, a variety of special events are slated to begin in mid-September. A Book Discussion Group will be meeting one Monday a month at 7pm (please call 973.744.0500 ext. 2221 to become a member or learn more). There is also a line-up of Thursday night programs with talks on topics such as Separation Anxiety in Children and Seeing Eye Dogs. All events are free and open to the public. For more details, check the Montclair Public Library’s online calendar.

Say goodbye to The Situation and company. MTV announced yesterday that it will be cancelling ‘Jersey Shore,’ the inexplicably popular reality show that made Pauly D and Snooki household names.

The show enters its sixth season in October and will not continue after that. The Star-Ledger has a few interesting theories as to why the show was cancelled, and columnist Mark Di Ionno says the show should be applauded as a cautionary tale.

But most are simply applauding the show’s demise, especially the real residents of the Jersey Shore.

“We were on a cruise and as soon as we said we were from the Jersey Shore, everyone was like: ‘Do you know Snooki?'” one resident told nj.com. “We constantly had to explain to people that that is not the real Jersey Shore, and that the shore is actually a very beautiful place. It is terrific that the show is finally going away.”

But the gang is not going to disappear entirely. Snooki and JWoww–and Snooki’s newborn son, Lorenzo–will be starring in the second season of their MTV spinoff show, and Pauly D is working on a new album. Thanks to his reality star fame, the pouffy-haired celeb is apparently one of the highest paid DJs in the country.

Any thoughts on this new home being erected on Walnut Street in Montclair? I’ll keep mine to myself except to say that I don’t think its style fits much with the rest of the street, or the town. Just look at its next door neighbor, pictured below.

I don’t recall what was on that strip of land before, but looking at this house reminded me of a story I came across on Scouting New York earlier this summer about a beautiful old Victorian that was turned into a house like this. Read the story here, and try not to cry.

Who doesn’t love lazy summer mornings, sleeping a tad later and not worrying about feeding the kids’ (and ourselves) breakfast? Alas, the end is near. Just next week we’ll be setting our alarms and rummaging for healthy breakfasts to start our days on the right track. And as much as the kids will try to convince you otherwise, artificially sweetened cereals won’t cut it. What we need is quick, easy Back to School breakfasts!

As I wandered around the farmer’s markets and farm stands these last few weeks of summer, I couldn’t help but think about breakfast. Piles of zucchini triggered images of homemade bread, stacks of colorful carrots muffins, tart apples could so easily become a moist coffee cake and orange pumpkins would be yummy in spiced pancakes.

My kids like to start their days with something a bit sweet – a piece of banana bread, a crumbly muffin or pancake with maple syrup. That works for me, especially if I have my freezer stocked and ready to defrost and serve. Farm fresh ingredients – carrots, apples, pumpkin, zucchini, pears, peaches, blueberries – along with some whole wheat flour and all natural ingredients will result in a tasty, satisfying breakfast. All it takes is a few baking dates and a bit of freezing knowledge to stock your freezer with a variety of easy, healthy and different breakfasts. A few seconds on defrost in the microwave and you’ll be starting your kids day with something bed and breakfast worthy.

Mitt Romney took the stage last night in Tampa to officially accept his nomination as the Republican candidate for president. In his acceptance speech, he focused on the failure of President Obama to resolve the country’s economic problems, saying “You know there’s something wrong with the kind of job he’s done as president when the best feeling you had was the day you voted for him.”

The former governor of Massachusetts also spoke of his own life–his career, his mother, his wife and sons–in an attempt, perhaps, to better connect to a public that has by and large found him out of touch with common folks.

An early morning shooting inside a Pathmark store on Route 9 has left three people dead. One of the dead reportedly includes the gunman.

ABC News reported that police responded to shots fired inside the Pathmark supermarket in Old Bridge, just before 4 a.m. this morning. There was a confrontation with the alleged gunman, but there’s been no word on his motive.